Mucosity

In the smears made from the viscid pus of the kidney abscesses and the lung nodules, a micro-organism was found. This was a rather long, thick bacillus with rounded edges, and only staining with difficulty. The length varied between 0·5 to 0·8 microns. As a rule no characteristic grouping was found; in a few cases an arrangement resembling that sometimes seen in cholera was noted. This arrangement, however, is merely due to the mucosity of the purulent material, and may be seen in any preparation of cultures of most bacteria if mixed with the mucus of frogs' eggs.

The symptoms are constant sneezing and a discharge of a limpid, yellow or green mucosity from the nostrils. The infant, contrary to its usual habit, sleeps with the mouth open, it sucks with difficulty, as its respiration is impeded, and its snuffling is more or less intense. In some cases the mucosity is so thick as to close up one or both nostrils, and then the deglutition, or function of swallowing, is more or less difficult; the eyes are red and humid, the infant is restless, it cries, and its countenance is expressive of pain and suffering.

Billard states very accurately that there exists, as it were, but a degree between the thick tenacious, filamentous mucosity with which inflamed mucous membranes cover themselves, and the membranous exudation of croup. The membrane of croup presents nearly the same chemical elements as this mucosity, in which fibrin predominates. The puriform mucosity of catarrh, the false membrane of croup, and the excretion of muguet, appear to be but alterations of the same secretion, and vary only with respect to their form and the parts they occupy.